[ShadeJackrabbit]

Well... I'd have to say there are a lot of things I love about adventure games. Sometimes they depend on my mood, and the time of year. I can't play Sam and Max during the winter, though during the summer it's a riot.

I really enjoy a good story, or at least something that makes me laugh, due to something really ridiculous or witty. (Ridiculous: Guybrush dropping a sword down his pants in The Curse of Monkey Island. Wit: Guybrush then proceeding to wince.) For a good story I usually look for the occult (ghosts, witchcraft), a really intriquing mystery (And Then There Were None was simply great because I loved the story, Keepsake is interesting due to the emptiness), or some sorta sci-fi (The Dig).

Voice acting is another big one. The Curse of Monkey Island had amazing voice acting, and that really made it even more of a great game. Some games don't have good voice acting though, and that's just annoying.

Simplicity or obviousness is another thing I like. If a game has something that hints to what you should do, it's a lot more fun. Some games did this great, and others not so well. Having to go to the UHS to solve a puzzle can be very annoying.

Then there's exploration. I feel this is a must for most games, adventure or not. And Then There Were None was great in the sense that the place was so large, but also small enough to make you feel like you were on an island. Games like Day of the Tentacle worked well in that they put lots to explore in a small space, making it feel like you actually were in a very cramped mansion.

And finally are graphics. Now now, I'm not gonna say that ultra-realism is important. I'm actually talking about graphics that fit the game. When you're playing an old-fashioned adventure-noir, you expect it to be... well... in black and white. If you're playing a surreal adventure of ghosts and ghouls, outlandish colors and some good shades of purple are in order. Then again, if you're going "back, to the mansion!" in Day of the Tentacle, you should have a bunch of different colors that make it bright and cartoon-y.

Replay value and length are interesting things. On one hand, a game can be short if you want to play it again and again. On the other, it's great to have a really long involved game. I think the best would be a game that makes you want to play it again and again, but is long enough that you notice different things each time around. An interesting idea I had to improve this is something to randomize the plot, that make even the story different each time. I remember some Scooby-Doo games which did this, and those games I could just keep playing.

Well, I'd say "that's my two cents" but it's actually more around two dollars...

EDIT: And in response to the second question: I like screenshots as long as they don't spoil an important scene, like the revealing of who the villain is, or that (insert name) dies.